


Take Your Time...

by onyxpected



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 The Royal
Genre: Author is bad at writing kissing scenes, Fluff and Angst, Goro Akechi is bad at emotions, I just want my gay boys to be happy, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Persona 5 The Royal Spoilers, Ren is soft and understanding as he should be, Ren wakes up from the palace later than everyone else don't ask questions, This is entirely self serving, We're going with Ren, just a lot of feelings, much like myself, the second chapter has the most mild of self harm and unhealthy coping mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25885066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onyxpected/pseuds/onyxpected
Summary: After Ren gets out of prison, Goro Akechi is finally sick of sulking about still being alive. For some reason, he wants to see Ren again...
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann (mentioned)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

Goro Akechi never wanted to wake up after Maruki’s palace dissolved, but what Akechi wanted hadn’t mattered much before, so why would it now? He spent a couple of weeks in his old apartment, wondering when payments from Shido’s account would stop. Maybe they wouldn’t, he thought bitterly, thinking about how this new Shido was just so repentant and pathetic. He lifted up his shirt like he did every day for two weeks, and was once again vaguely shocked at what he saw. He had many scars along his torso, his arms, a few nasty ones on his legs, but what bothered him was there was an extra one, to the right of his belly button, where he’d been shot in that engine room.

Dammit. It's true. He really did get out of the engine room.  _ Maybe I should make sure I’m not still in Maruki’s hell dream, _ he thought to himself as he slipped on his coat, headed to the train. 

Ren Amamiya woke up in a cell in juvenile detention, which didn’t surprise him. What surprised him was waking up to a guard telling him to pack his things because he was leaving today. 

“What day is it?” he murmured, scratching his head. 

“The 13th. Your guardian will be here soon. Get up.”

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a ton of stuff to pack on your way out of juvie.

When he returned to LeBlanc, his friends were waiting with warm hugs and a congratulatory cake. Makoto wore a relieved smile, Futaba’s eyes glimmered with mischief and probably tears of joy, Haru ate dainty pieces of cake between conversation, and Yusuke inspected him for damage to Ren’s “artistic aesthetic” while Ryuji and Ann needled each other, not-so-secretly holding hands under the table. Ren was settled into a booth, observing the controlled chaos around him when the bell above the door gently rang. His heart leapt into his throat for one small second, hoping for one particular person to walk through the door, and had to swallow his disappointment when he locked eyes with Sumire Yoshizawa. Her hair was down and her glasses perched delicately on her nose. He was glad to see her of course, but he wished that it was… 

Well, that doesn’t matter now. His friends slowly trickled out of LeBlanc as the night ended, until Sojiro and Futaba remained. 

“No one has seen him,” Futaba muttered while she fiddled with her gloves. “I know you were hoping he might be here.” 

For a moment he wondered why everyone else had woken up before him. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to, knowing he wouldn’t be waiting on the other side. “No, no,” Ren lied, “I figured he wouldn’t be here. It was just Maruki.”

“Ren…”

“I’m alright, Futaba. Really. Go ahead and go home with Sojiro.” Ren looked at Sojiro with an expression he hoped said  _ I’d like to go to bed now, it’s been a long day _ instead of the  _ I’d like you to go home because my cat and someone I really cared about are both gone and I want to cry about it _ he really felt. 

“C’mon, Futaba. Let’s get going, I can tell you’re tired.”

Finally, Ren was alone. He wrapped his blanket around himself and cried for the friends he’d left behind. 

Akechi paced for what felt like hours outside of the familiar doors. He’d watched each of the Thieves leave the cafe. Every time he wanted to reach for the handles he stopped himself.  _ What if he doesn’t want to see me? _

“Akechi?” A small voice scared him from his thoughts. He looked around wildly for its source, but he appeared to be alone. “Akechi!”

On the ground, a black and white cat with blue eyes looked up at him. 

“Morgana,” Akechi said, trying to calm his racing heart. This isn’t how he planned this to go. “Where’s your collar?”

“That’s what you focus on?” The cat yowled incredulously, “You focus on my collar?” Morgana jumped up at Akechi’s chest, so he had no choice but to catch him. “Where have you been? How are you alive?”

Akechi gave a brief rundown of the past couple weeks. “Anything else?” His patience with the not-cat was wearing thin. 

“Why are you here now?”

That wasn’t what Akechi was expecting. “I…”

“Cuz I have the excuse of having to street cat my way here from the other side of the city. You can use trains,” Morgana continued, seemingly not caring much about Akechi’s stunned silence. “You know, if you’re here to see Ren, we can just go. It’ll be easier for me to get back inside if you let me in.”

“Fine,” Akechi muttered, mostly to get the cat to stop talking. He angrily ripped open the door to LeBlanc.

Ren forgot to lock the door, which he realized when his quiet sobbing was interrupted by the bell, and then the door slamming shut again. He wrapped his blanket around himself and stumbled downstairs. “Sorry,” his voice cracked, “we’re closed, and I-”

_ He looks terrible,  _ Akechi thought to himself as his gut twisted up and the knot moved into his chest. His hair was messier than usual, which was a feat, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Akechi grew alarmed when he noticed how puffy his eyes were, and the shiny tear stains running down his face. 

“Reeeeeen!” Morgana chirped, jumping out of Akechi’s arms and perching on the counter. Ren’s tear filled eyes looked towards Morgana, and he allowed himself a small smile. 

“Monamona,” Ren picked up Morgana and gave him a snuggle. “You stink.”

“I was lost in the city for a week!” He argued. Ren chuckled, and then his eyes floated back to Akechi. 

“Morgana… can you…” 

“Yeah, I’ll wait upstairs. Bring me food when you’re done!”

Ren and Akechi stared at each other for a moment before Ren rushed him, threw his arms around him, and swallowed Akechi in a hug. The knot twisted around Akechi’s lungs, and sprouted little trees that kept him from breathing properly. Ren was warm, and he was still clutching the blanket in his hands. He felt Ren shift, pull away from him, and suddenly Akechi’s brain turned on and he carefully wrapped his arms around Ren’s back. Ren nuzzled into his neck just a little, and Akechi held him a little tighter. He can’t remember the last time he was hugged.

When Akechi finally let Ren pull away he opened his mouth to speak, but Ren’s fist connected with his stomach. Not enough to really hurt him, but enough to make a point. Once the shock passed, Akechi looked Ren in the eye again; they were shining with fresh tears. 

“How dare you,” Ren muttered, “how dare you do this to me.”

“I-”

“No, shut up.” Ren’s voice was still shaking, but he stood a little taller and looked Akechi head on. “How dare you do this to me. How dare you die in that ship, then come back, then make me kill you again, then show up  _ in my home _ , holding  _ my cat. _ How dare you keep popping in and out of my life like this, how dare you keep doing the right thing the coward’s way by being so glib with your life. Do you even think about how it makes the people around you feel? Your  _ sacrifices _ aren’t redemption, it’s selfish. I know you  _ want  _ to do the right thing, so  _ how dare you _ keep doing all of this alone, only popping in when you’ve got a grand plan, just to leave me behind again at the last minute! Your plans don’t work, Goro Akechi. So what… what now?” Ren’s anger ran out of steam. His tears were once again falling freely, and Akechi didn’t know what to do. 

Deep down he knew Ren was right, but Ren was angry with him, and that meant he had to be angry with Ren too. 

“I didn’t want to wake up from Maruki’s palace, you absolute idiot! I really thought I was dead! I just came back… I didn’t come back just to spite you. I don’t know why I came here!” He turned on his heel to leave, even though all he wanted to do was make Ren stop crying. Ren crying hurt him in a way he couldn’t explain; hurt much more than that punch to the gut. If Ren wouldn’t stop crying he wanted to leave.

“Wait,” Ren’s voice cracked, and he reached forward to grab Akechi’s arm. “Don’t go. That would just be… the worst possible thing.” His tears stopped falling as he gripped the cloth of Akechi’s coat, then slowly moved his hand down to intertwine their fingers. Akechi froze, and his heart felt like it was going to burst. He was sure he was blushing, even though he was staring at Ren with skepticism and as much contempt he could muster. It wasn’t a lot. 

“What are you doing?”

“Before you go…” Ren paused, and cleared his throat. “Before you go, can you just do one thing?”

“Yes.”  _ Anything if you don’t cry again. _

“Can… can I kiss you?”

Akechi really didn’t know what to do with that one. Someone wanted to kiss him.  _ Ren _ wanted to kiss him. Why did Ren want to kiss him? 

“Why?” Akechi’s skepticism grew. 

“I want to,” Ren said plainly. “And if you’re going to leave again, I don’t want to have wondered.” He could see the skepticism and fear in Akechi’s eyes, and he hoped he could melt it away somehow. He reached up and brushed a loose hair behind Akechi’s ear and cupped his face. “Please, don’t be scared. I promise this isn’t a joke. This isn’t some kind of setup. It’s just us.” 

Akechi’s glare softened a bit. “And Morgana. He’s upstairs.” Ren couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“I’m pretty sure he’s asleep,” Ren said. “Besides, he’s just a cat.” 

No objections came from the staircase.

“See?” Ren’s grin was cheesy, but it effectively lowered Akechi’s guard. He nodded, not quite smiling, but not scowling either.

Ren leaned forward a little too quickly, a little too awkwardly, but that didn’t stop Akechi’s heart from beating wildly. He was blushing up to his ears, and stiff as a board. He was scared if he moved, he’d wake up from what was surely a dream. Or worse, Ren would realize what a terrible mistake this is and maybe punch him again. 

Ren only kissed him for a few seconds before he pulled away, a sheepish smile on his face and a blush gracing his cheeks. “Sorry,” he mumbled, noticing Akechi’s still semi-shocked expression. “Did you not like that? I won’t do it again. If you want to go, you can go.”

“No, that’s not… that’s not it.” 

“Are you not…?”

“That’s…”

“Oh, god. Was that your first kiss?”

Akechi looked away with a hiss. “Of course not.” He was lying.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I… I’m sorry.” Ren was fumbling over himself, and honestly Akechi was ready to slap the apology off his face. Instead, he grabbed the front of Ren’s shirt and pulled him close. 

“Fucking shut up a minute,” Akechi muttered, then mirrored the gesture Ren made towards him earlier by tucking a curl behind his ear. “Your blubbering is annoying, you know.” Ren’s smile melted, and was replaced with a tentative smirk. 

“You know how to shut me up?” Ren whispered, raising his eyebrow as punctuation. A question, to make sure Akechi can shut it down if he wants. 

Rather than shutting it down, Akechi let out an annoyed grunt before leaning forward and kissing Ren properly. His lips were warm and soft, and Ren was clearly letting Akechi set the pace as he made no move to deepen the kiss at all. He was so considerate, and it annoyed the shit out of Akechi. 

Akechi moved his hands from Ren’s shirt to his waist and pushed him against the wall, using Ren’s gasp as an opportunity to explore the other man’s mouth with his tongue. Ren wrapped his arms around Akechi’s neck, and when they broke for air he nuzzled up against him affectionately. 

“Why do you keep doing that?” Akechi mumbled as Ren played with his hair.

“I like your hair. Plus, I like giving you affection.” Ren’s lips danced across Akechi’s neck as he spoke, peppering little kisses, and Akechi decided he liked that very much and made a mental note to encourage that as much as possible. “I like  _ you _ .”

Akechi wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear that. So, instead of responding, he pulled away from Ren and took his hand. “I can’t stay here. The cat is here, and it’s late.”

Ren’s smile faltered. “Akechi…”

“I won’t be gone forever, you sentimental fool.” 

“The others?”

“You want me to see them?”

“You’ll have to eventually if you’re planning to come back. You are planning on coming back?”

Akechi nodded curtly. “I’ll come back. This… this will take some time to figure out. All of it. I don’t know what to do now.”

“We can figure it out together, you know. All of us,” Ren said with a gleam in his eye that told Akechi that he would be social and like it. “You don’t ever have to be alone again.” The understanding in Ren’s eyes was suffocating, and Akechi wished he understood why he was resisting his affection so much, why he felt so much turmoil about it. He wished he knew how to vocalize it, but Ren was ahead of his mind once again. “This is strange. I understand, take your time. I’ll still be here.” Ren leaned forward and gave Akechi a kiss on the cheek. “I mean it, I like you.”

Once again, Akechi didn’t want to respond to that, so he squeezed Ren’s hand and left the cafe, out into the cold night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I didn't like how ambiguous and kind of bitter sweet last chapter was, so I wrote a follow up cuz I got bored.

Ren honestly thought that Akechi wouldn’t come back. He’d kissed Ren back, but what if when he left he’d realized it was a mistake? Or that he didn’t really want to see Ren again? After Akechi left, Ren wandered back up to his room, where Morgana had taken over the center of his bed. Rather than try to be stealthy, he lifted up the cat, slid back onto his bed, and set Morgana on his chest. 

“Akechi just left?” Morgana asked, stretching over Ren’s torso. 

“I don’t know if we’ll ever see him again. I might have messed up,” Ren explained, more anxiety creeping into his voice than he would have liked. “We talked, I punched him a little, I got really mad at him, then asked for a kiss, then I kissed him, then he kissed me, then I told him that I liked him, for real liked him, and he closed off again.”

Morgana blinked. “You… okay.” He shook his head. “Alright.”

“Alright? I expected you to flip!”

“Ren… I know when he died, or we thought he did, in Shido’s palace. You weren’t okay, and I spent enough time around you to guess why.” Ren blushed.

“You knew?” 

“I at least knew it was possible.” Ren put the pillow over his face.

“You can go ahead and suffocate me now. Does everyone else know?”

“Maybe. They never said anything to me, but…”

Ren’s phone interrupted the cat with its ringing.  _ Futaba _ , the screen flashed at him. Dammit. The bugs she planted. He took a deep breath before accepting the call.

“RENRENREN,” her whisper-shouting greeted him. “Ren, did I just hear Akechi on the cafe mics? And you kissed him? And he just  _ left _ you like that?”

“Futaba… you told me you shut off the bugs.” 

“You looked upset. I wanted to make sure you didn’t break anything. Or stress brew any coffee.”

“You’re just nosey,” Ren muttered. “Okay, yes. All those things did happen. You can’t tell anyone, though. I don’t even know if he’s coming back.”

“Oh, I bet he is,” Futaba’s grin was audible. 

“Hey! Shouldn’t you guys go to sleep?” Morgana’s annoyed voice cried. Ren rolled his eyes.

“Futaba, the sleep police are getting on me. It’s been a long night, we should rest.”

“‘Kay! Night Ren!” The line clicked, but he doubted that Futaba was actually going to sleep. He doubted that  _ he  _ was going to get to sleep. His mind was still racing; he felt relief at Akechi and Morgana being alive, and he felt a whole lot of  _ something _ about Akechi kissing him. He was surprised Akechi let Ren kiss him, and even more surprised when Akechi kissed him back. Akechi was… aggressive, which didn’t totally surprise Ren and he was kind of into it, but still. The pit of uncertainty and anxiety settled in his stomach once again when he remembered how quickly Akechi closed off to him when he told him how he really felt.  _ Maybe I scared him off _ , Ren thought.  _ I wonder if he’s ever been told anything like that… or if he believed me.  _

Akechi laid in bed, hugging his pillow. His thoughts had raced all the way home on the train. He felt like his heart was trying to tear itself in two. He’d  _ kissed Ren _ , and it was great. He’d kissed Ren, and Ren had wanted him to, Ren  _ asked _ him to, and told him he  _ liked _ him, and Akechi had no idea what to do with that information. He’s had his suspicions about his feelings towards Ren, but he’d never had room in his heart for anything but hatred before so he wasn’t sure until…

_ I’ll hold on to your glove for you. _

Ren had feelings for him all this time? Or was this recent? Is that why he was so upset about destroying Maruki’s reality? He put a fist in his hair and pulled until the dull ache shut up his thoughts. He wouldn’t speculate about this. He would ignore the doubt gnawing in his brain;  _ it’s a lie, he’s lying, he’s just tricking you, no one has cared about you before, why would someone care now? Especially someone like him? Someone you killed? _

He threw his pillow across the room and let out a yell of frustration. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Without the voice of Loki in his mind his rage was a lot less murderous, but still very present. He entangled his fists in his hair again, pulling a little harder, but that only reminded him of how Ren’s gentle fingers weaving their way through his brown hair affectionately. Soothingly. 

Incoherent noises of frustration emerged from Akechi’s throat. Maybe tomorrow he’d head to LeBlanc. He’d told Ren that he would come back, after all. 

Going back to LeBlanc on a whim wasn’t the smartest plan Akechi had ever come up with. For one, he hadn’t accounted for other Phantom Thieves being there when he arrived. Ren was behind the bar, idly washing cups while chatting with Ann and Ryuji. 

“Hello, welcome to… you came back,” Ren’s voice trailed off into a whisper. Ann’s blue eyes were as wide as when she would get brainwashed in the Metaverse. Ryuji’s arm moved from around her shoulders in front of her in a protective motion. His eyes narrowed slightly. 

“What the eff,” Ryuji said, “are you doing here?”

“He came back yesterday,” Ren said, still quiet and staring at Akechi with slight amazement. “I didn’t think he’d really come back again today.”

“How are you alive? Are you… are you okay?” Ann’s voice had too much concern for Akechi’s liking. Ryuji looked at Ren with a silent question in his eye, to which Ren nodded and Ryuji’s posture visibly relaxed, reaching his arm back around Ann’s shoulders. A bubble of jealousy floated up into Akechi’s throat at how easily the two understood each other, no overt communication required. He swallowed it, and looked toward Ren. 

“May I take a seat?” He used his politeness as a shield, summoning what remained of his public persona. Ren’s smile immediately lost its potency. 

“Only if you never use that voice with me again,” Ren replied, gesturing to both the seat in front of him and the booth where Ryuji and Ann were sitting. Akechi was surprised at the small amount of venom in his tone. 

“I’m sorry, would you prefer if I were a little more uncouth? Perhaps I could storm in here and  _ demand _ a seat from you, and steal your friend’s coffee,” Akechi said, voice drenched in snark. A small whine of protest came from Ann, but it was overshadowed by Ren’s unabashed delightful laughter. 

“God, I’m so glad you’re alive,” Ren said, his warm smile back on his face. He placed a cup of coffee in front of Akechi, and took the opportunity to quickly squeeze his hand before going back to the few remaining dishes. 

“Yeah, uh, how are you, y’know, alive?” 

“Ryuji! You can’t just ask people how they came back from the dead.” Ann scolded him. 

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Ren assured him. “Besides, I don’t think you know much more about it than anyone else.” 

“You’re right. I have no idea how I came back from Maruki’s palace. I’m… not unhappy to see that you all are alright, though.” He looked intently at his coffee after that confession. 

“Wow, um, thanks Akechi… I’m glad you’re alright too,” Ann said with sincerity. Ryuji once again looked to Ren with a silent question, to which he nodded again, this time with a little more force. Ryuji yawned and stood up, holding out his hand for Ann. 

“C’mon, Ann, let’s let ‘em talk. I’ll buy you a crepe.” Ann couldn’t contain her delighted squeak as she stood up, ran to Ren to give him a quick hug, and then took Ryuji’s hand and walked with him out of LeBlanc. 

“We haven’t seen the last of them,” Ren mused, his cheeks turning pink now that he and Akechi were alone. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they were spying on us through the bushes. You’re all a rather… curious group,” Akechi remarked with a smirk. He enjoyed the moment of levity before clearing his throat. “So, Ren…”

“Listen, I’m really glad you actually came back. And I’m sorry about yesterday, I wasn’t very graceful, I was just really happy to see you, and I honestly thought I might have been hallucinating or dreaming, and I know that I said a lot of things that probably made you uncomfortable that you don’t really know how to process but I want you to know I meant it but also that I’m sorry for springing it all on you.” 

“Are you done?” Akechi said bluntly after Ren took several breaths. Ren blinked. 

“Uh, yeah, I guess I am.”

“Good.” Akechi signed. “Listen, Ren, I’m not very in tune with my feelings. I’ve been angry for a very long time, and I’m still angry. Part of me still wants to kill you just because I know you’re responsible for my continued existence. However I do know that… there’s no need to apologize for yesterday. In fact, I came back today because - hmph!” Akechi let out a grunt of surprise when Ren walked behind him, wrapped his arms around his shoulders, and rested his chin on top of Akechi’s head. 

“You came back because you find me incredibly irresistible?” Ren’s smirk came through in his tone of voice. 

“Asshole,” Akechi muttered. 

“Listen, though, seriously. You and I both have to learn how to be normal people now. I’d like… to be there with you for it. To do it. Together.” Ren turned the stool around so that Akechi was looking at him, and played with his hair affectionately. “How’s that sound?”

Akechi closed his eyes, reveling in the touch. “I’ll have to deal with your friends, won’t I?”

“They can be your friends too, you know. And having friends is typically part of being a normal person.” 

“And the cat?”

“The cat does kind of come with me, yes.” 

“And can more of… this be included in this proposition?” 

“This, and anything else you want.” Ren purred. Akechi’s eyes snapped open, and he tried to maintain some of his scowl, but it wasn’t very convincing. Ren had that cocky smirk on his face, and Akechi’s attraction and rage mixed again. 

“That smirk of yours is infuriating,” Akechi growled, pulling Ren’s hands out of his hair and standing up. “I suppose I’ll have to deal with that too.” 

Ren leaned a little closer to Akechi. “Do you have a particular way you want to deal with it?”

Their lips crashed together in a much less awkward fashion than the day before. Akechi felt some of his resistance slip away with Ren’s arms wrapped around him, kissing him back with as much aggression as Akechi was, yet still finding little ways to convey affection. Ren’s hands drew little circles on his back, and Akechi could feel him fighting to keep from smiling so he could, presumably, focus on kissing. 

Ren couldn’t stop grinning when he pulled away for air. Once again, he nuzzled Akechi and gave him a few little kisses on his cheek and neck, chuckling when Akechi tried to hide a small gasp. “Oooo, so you like that a lot, huh?” 

“Shut up.”

“Noted.” Ren winked. “Hey, listen. Do you want to come upstairs and watch a movie with me?”

Akechi blushed a little. “What, is that code for you?” 

Ren’s eyes widened. “Nonono, no. I mean, not like that. I really do just want to spend time with you. And talk. And maybe if you’ll let me cuddle you I’d like that a lot.” Ren took Akechi’s hand and ran his thumb over the other young man’s knuckles. 

“You know, I’ve never really… planned ahead before. I mean beyond a year or so. I didn’t think I’d be alive right now. I have no idea what to do next.” Akechi’s voice was soft, and he stared at his and Ren’s hands joined together. Ren cupped Akechi’s cheek and gently moved his face so he was looking at him. 

“I know, ‘Kechi, I know. Let’s go talk about it, okay?” Akechi nodded, and Ren gave him another quick kiss. They ascended the stairs together, hand in hand, and when Morgana and Futaba showed up an hour and a half later, they found the both of them asleep, cuddled together on the dingy couch.


End file.
